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Craigslist prostitution crackdown

Memphis police say recent prostitution stings have forced many hookers off the street corner to sell their services on the information superhighway. 

Prostitutes are using Craigslist.org and other sites to hook up with potential clients.

"Well, everything is online now," said Lt. Chris Moffatt with MPD's Vice Team. "And this is just another service, if you can call it that, that's moved online."

Police busted a dozen women this past weekend at motels across Memphis.

Sisters Serena and Lynette Cremens were among those arrested. Detectives say both siblings offered sexual acts for money from a room at Motel 6 on Sycamore View, where they agreed to meet with an undercover officer who answered their classified ad on Craigslist.

A look on Craigslist reveals hundreds of ads from Memphis-area women. Some feature very racy personal photos. One ad read "almost any and everything is negotiable."

"Read between the lines, call the number, and meet the girl," said Moffatt.

He says he's seen many of these same women working the streets."It's just that they put an ad on the Internet."

Police say they wish there was a way to limit the kinds of ads posted on Craigslist and similar sites. They say they find the same types of ads in newspapers.

It's proof that the world's oldest profession continues to change with the times.

"It's how they make their money," Moffatt said.

Click here to e-mail Jason Miles.